Adjustable width conveyor supporting stand



Aug. 2, 1966 w. K. STOKES ADJUSTABLE WIDTH CONVEYOR SUPPORTING STAND Filed May 19. 1964 x I 1 25 30 29 2a I II INVENTOR. WILLIAM K. STOKES BY MAHONEY, MILL R 8- RAMBO BY M ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,263,951 ADJUSTABLE WIDTH CONVEYOR SUPPORTING STAND William Kenneth Stokes, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Alvey-Ferguson Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed May 19, 1964, Ser. No. 368,469 4 Claims. (Cl. 248172) This invention relates to an adjustable width conveyor supporting stand. It has to do to, more particularly, with a conveyor stand for that general type of conveyor which includes transversely disposed, longitudinally spaced article-supporting rollers, which are carried between longitudinally extending, laterally spaced parallel rails or frame members. More specifically, it relates to the stands for supporting said rails in parallel spaced relationship and to means incorporated in the stands for readily adjusting the lateral spacing of said rails to receive rollers of various selected length for various installations.

The provision of adjustable width conveyor stands according to this invention facilitates the stocking of roller conveyors in various locations and at the same time reduces the size of stock it is necessary to carry. The stands are adjustable to provide the proper spacing of the rails for receiving various length rollers. Thus, it is only necessary to carry one type of stand to provide for the various length rollers since it is adjustable in accordance therewith. Furthermore, according to this invention, the stand can be easily and quickly adjusted as desired with simple tools. Also, although it is adjustable as to width when it is set at the desired width, it will be extremely rigid and strong. Furthermore, due to its simple structure, it can be fabricated at a very low cost.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In this drawing, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of this invention and:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through a conveyor in which the stand of this invention is incorporated.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of the conveyor showing the stand.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken through the adjustable brace of the stand along line 4-4 of FIG- URE 3.

With reference to the drawing, the stand of this invention is illustrated generally at 10. A serie of these stands will be provided for supporting predetermined lengths of the side rails 11 of the conveyor. The stands will be disposed at suitably longitudinally spaced intervals and will support the rails 11 at their upper ends. The rails do not necessarily need to be of the particular cross section shown but are of such a design that they will support therebetween the transversely extending rollers 12. The rails 11 illustrated in the drawing are formed as outwardly opening channel members and are disposed in laterally spaced parallel relationship. Each roller 12 includes the shaft or axle 13 which has its opposite ends extending into suit-able receiving openings in the vertical Webs of the members 11.

Each of the stands comprises the vertically disposed leg members 15. Each leg member is in the form of a channel with its flanges 19 inturned so that its open side is disposed inwardly. On the lower end of each leg 15 is the adjustable foot or base 16 which is in the form of a larger channel into which the lower end of the leg telescopes. The base of the foot is closed with a flat lower wall 17 to provide a bearing surface. The lower 3,263,951 Patented August 2, 1966 "ice end of the leg 15 and the foot 16 are connected together for relative vertical adjustment by means of the clamping bolt and slot connections 18.

The upper end of each leg is adjustably connected to the associated longitudinally extending rail 11. The adjustable connection comprises a coupling plate 20 which has downwardly converging forward and rearward edges, its lower narrow end being connected by a pivot pin 21 to the fiat outer wall or web of the leg 15, it being understood that the plate 20 is disposed at the outer side of the leg. The pivot pin 21 cooperates with an opening in the leg 15 which is spaced below the upper end of the leg. Adjacent that upper end, the leg carries a clamping bolt 22 which projects outwardly through an arcuate slot 23 in the plate 20. This slot 23 is spaced substantially from the upper extremity of the plate 20 where an inturned lateral flange 24 is formed. This flange 24 bears against the lower surface of the flange of the associated rail 11 and is connected thereto for relative longitudinal adjustment by clamping bolt and slot connections 25.

With this coupling arrangement between the legs 15 and the rails 11, the legs may be adjusted longitudinally of the rails and angularly relative to the rails as desired. Also, with the adjustable feet 16 provided on the legs 15, the length or height of the various legs may be selectively varied as desired.

According to this invention, there is provided an extremely simple but very effective means for bracing the opposed legs 15 of each stand 10. This means is formed of a pair of relatively adjustable identical diagonal brace sections 26 which cooperates with the inwardly turned channel-form legs 15. Since the brace sections 26 are identical, is not necessary to have right and left-hand sections and they consequently can be manufactured and assembled with much greater ease.

Each section 26 comp-rises a web or body 27 which is angularly or diagonally disposed relative to the outwardly extending attaching flanges 28 formed at each edge extremity thereof. The flanges 28 are disposed in parallel planes. Each of the flanges is provided with a series of longitudinally spaced, elongated slots 29.

As indicated, each transverse brace extending between the opposed legs 15 comprises a pair of relatively adjustable sections 26. These sections are overlapped at their inner ends as indicated with the flanges 28 of the respective sections in flat contact with each other. Also, the webs 27 of the respective overlapping sections are in flat contact with each other. The overlapping ends are connected together by clamping bolts 30 extending through aligning slots 29 in the opposed contacting flanges 28.

When the brace consisting of two overlapping sections 26 is positioned between the opposed legs 15, its length is selected so that the outer extremities of the respective sections will abut the inner surfaces of the outer walls or webs of the channel-shaped legs 15. The flanges 28 will be disposed in vertcial planes with the upper flange extending upwardly and the lower flange extending downwardly and will have their outer surfaces in fiat contact with the inner surfaces of the adjacent flanges 19 of the legs. The flanges 28 and 19 are bolted together by means of the clamp-ing bolts 32 which extend through aligned openings formed thejrein. This will position the web 27 of the brace in a tilted position longitudinally of the rails 1'1 of the conveyor. Because the brace sections 26 overlap, it Will be necessary :to oifset one of the legs 15 slightly relative to the other as indicated.

Thus, there is provided a brace which extends transversely between pairs of opposed leg members and which will rigidly brace said members laterally. The bracing effect is increased considerably by having the web memher 27 tilted between the opposed vertical flanges 19 f the legs 15. Since the members 26 are of the form indicated, with the upper and lower parallel flanges 28 at diflerent levels and the inclined web -27 therebetween, they are as strong as channel members but it is not necessary to have right and left members of different size due to the fact that they merely need to overlap rather than interfit or telescope. This simplifies manufacture and assembly. The overlapping adjacent ends of the two sections are readily adjustable relatively to space the rails 11 as desired to receive rollers 12 of various lengths.

With this arrangement, it is not necessary to stock stands of different widths corresponding to the lengths of rollers which might be used in a conveyor installation.

Various advantages of this invention have been discussed above and others will be apparent.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, the principles of this invention have been explained and have been illustrated and described in what is now considered to represent the best embodiment. However, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed 1. A supporting structure comprising opposed transversely spaced upstanding legs of channel-like crosssectional form having inturned flanges disposed in spaced parallel planes with -a connecting web therebetween, an elongated brace extending transversely between said legs and having oppositely extending ends projecting within said inturned flanges of the respective legs, said brace having an elongated web tilted relative to the planes of the inturned flanges of said legs and having upper and lower flanges projecting respectively upwardly and down wardly therefrom and extending therealong, said upper and lower brace flanges being in parallel spaced planes adjacent to and directly inwardly of said leg flanges so that the respective leg and brace flanges are substantially in cooperating contact, and means for connecting the co operating flanges structurally together.

2. A structure according to claim -1 in which the brace is composed of identical sections which are connected to the respective legs and which have adjacent inner ends in overlapping relationship, and means for connecting said overlapping ends together for relative adjustment transversely of the legs.

3. A structure according to claim 2 in which said means for connecting said flanges together comprises clamping bolts, and said means for connecting said overlapping ends together comprises clamping bolts and cooperating slots formed in said flanges of said brace sections and extending therein transversely relative to said legs.

4. A supporting structure comprising opposed transversely spaced supports having flanges disposed in spaced planes, an elongated brace extending transversely between said supports and having oppositely extending ends projecting into cooperative relationship with said flanges of the respective supports, said brace having an elongated web inclined laterally relative to the planes of the flanges of said supports and having flanges projecting oppositely therefrom and extending therealong, said brace flanges being in spaced planes adjacent said support flanges so that the respective support and brace flanges are in cooperative relationship, and means for securing the cooperating flanges structurally together.

References Cited by the Examiner 

1. A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE COMPRISING OPPOSED TRANSVERSELY SPACED UPSTANDING LEGS OF CHANNEL-LIKE CROSSSECTIONAL FORM HAVING INTURNED FLANGES DISPOSED IN SPACED PARALLEL PLANES WITH A CONNECTING WEB THEREBETWEEN, AND ELONGATED BRACE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY BETWEEN SAID LEGS AND HAVING OPPOSITELY EXTENDING ENDS PROJECTING WITHIN SAID INTURNED FLANGES OF THE RESPECTIVE LEGS, SAID BRACE HAVING AN ELONGATED WEB TILTED RELATIVE TO THE PLANES OF THE INTURNED FLANGES OF SAID LEGS AND HAVING UPPER AND 